Everything You Need to Know About 'Gravity Rush 2'

Prepare to fly once again.

The long-awaited sequel to 2012’s Gravity Rush for the PlayStation Vita will finally arrive January 20 on PlayStation 4, introducing a whole new chapter of Kat’s story for players to enjoy on a new platform. Thanks to the added power of the PlayStation 4, SIE Japan Studio and Project Siren have been able to further push the limits of the game to bring players a more immersive experience filled with new gravity-based mechanics, additional quests, and a much larger open world to explore.

Here’s a few things you should know about the sequel before diving in.

Gravity Rush 2 Is a Direct Sequel

Instead of opting to create a standalone sequel set in the same universe for the PlayStation 4, the development team wanted to continue Kat’s story in Gravity Rush 2 by making it a direct sequel to the original. Gravity Rush 2 picks up right where Gravity Rush left off, with Kat and Raven investigating a strange disturbance, while Hekseville is being built following the events of the first game. If you haven’t played through Gravity Rush, you’ll definitely want to do so, or spend some time familiarizing yourself with the original to fully enjoy everything Gravity Rush 2’s story has to offer.

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Gravity Rush 2 Is a PlayStation 4 Exclusive

If you are one of the many players who were hoping to jump into Gravity Rush 2 on your PlayStation Vita, you’ll have to do so via the console’s Remote Play functionality. Because of Gravity Rush 2’s ambitions, the game simply expanded beyond the capabilities of what the PS Vita could provide from a hardware standpoint. The larger open world, added combat mechanics and detailed environments were something that couldn’t be done without the hardware of the PlayStation 4. That said, Remote Play appears to work surprisingly well provided you’ve got it set up properly, so if you’re determined to play on the Vita, that’s your best bet.

The Size of the World’s Been Doubled

Hardware restrictions on the PlayStation Vita prevented the in-game world of Gravity Rush from being fully realized the way game director Keiichiro Toyama had hoped. With Gravity Rush 2, the development team’s goal was immersion, and, thanks to the PlayStation 4, they could do just that. Gravity Rush 2 has nearly three times the amount of missions as the original, with a map that’s roughly over twice as large. More importantly, it’s vibrant and alive, filled with conversations and destructible environments.

There’s Expanded Gravity Mechanics

The ability for Kat to control gravity was one of Gravity Rush’s core mechanics, allowing players to manipulate the direction gravity comes from to fly through the air, attack enemies, and walk on walls all throughout the world. In Gravity Rush 2, that experience has been expanded to allow players to choose between three distinct styles: Lunar, Jupiter, and the original present in the first game. Lunar focuses on increasing Kat’s speed and jumping capabilities, while Jupiter makes her heavier so that she can hit enemies harder with her attacks. Each of these fighting styles also features distinct movesets, which you can use to eliminate a whole new set of enemies present in Gravity Rush 2.